MSPs have called on the Scottish Government to repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012, claiming that is badly written and unnecessary, reports the BBC.

Drivers who fail to pay their fines run the risk of their vehicles being clamped, taken into storage and ultimately scrapped or sold off, according to a warning from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).

More than half of drivers in the 25 – 34 age-group are risking getting charged with motoring offences for texting, using apps or going online on their mobiles when they are behind the wheel, according to a new study by road safety charity Brake.

There were more than 100,000 sexual assaults across the UK in the last year according to official statistics on criminal offences.

The new figure marks the first occasion that the number of sexual offences has reached such a landmark with an increase of 29% compared to the figures from the same period last year. However, the police are insisting that the number of offences is due to the victims of such attacks being more willing to come forward rather than a decrease in the standard of policing. This sentiment was echoed by the Office of National Statistics.

Record Year for Sexual Offences

While the figures only take into account data from England and Wales, previous reports from Police Scotland have indicated that the number of sexual offences has also risen in the country, implying that a rise in such offences is widespread throughout the UK.

Figures indicate that the number of rapes stood at 34,741 and that there were 68,873 other types of sexual offences, making 103,614 total offences. The figure also means that the number of rapes across the UK is now at the highest level since records began.

As well as an increase in the number of sexual offences, there was an 11% rise in homicides and a 27% rise in the number of violent crimes seen across the UK. Firearm offences also increased by 4% with police stating that this was mainly due to an 18% rise in imitation crimes.

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Scotland is to lower the drink driving limit in a move that will see the limit vary from the rest of the UK. The move will bring Scotland’s limit to similar standards to that seen in Europe.

The UK has the second highest drink driving limit in Europe, second only to Malta. Under new rules in Scotland the limit for a breathalyzer test has been lowered from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath to 22 micrograms per 100 ml. In regards to blood samples, the limit has been reduced to 50 milligrams per 100 ml from 80 milligrams.

37 years after their bodies were discovered in East Lothian, Angus Sinclair has been convicted of the rape and murder of Helen Scott and Christine Eadie at the High Court in Livingston. This was the first prosecution raised in Scotland following a change in the law relating to ‘double jeopardy’.

The UK Government’s current attitude toward European membership could lead to the country becoming a prime holiday destination for fugitives. MP’s have failed to endorse the country’s participation in the European arrest warrant (EAW) in a forthcoming parliamentary vote, which has concerned leading legal and law enforcement figures.

Six football fans were sentenced at Hamilton Sheriff Court this week for the parts they played in a disturbance in Hamilton town centre prior to the Hamilton v Falkirk football match on 5th January 2012. Four were served Football Banning Orders ranging from 12 to 22 months.